St. Louis' David Freese hits a solo home run off Texas' Mark Lowe in the 11th inning of Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. The Cardinals traded the former World Series MVP to the Angels on Friday in a four-player deal. The Cardinals also sent reliever Fernando Salas to the Angels. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Freese, the Most Valuable Player of the 2011 World Series, inherits the starting third baseman’s job that was unsettled after the Angels traded Alberto Callaspo to the Oakland A’s in July.

“It’s bittersweet,” Freese said. “I’m sad to be closing this chapter in my hometown, but extremely excited about joining the Angels.”

The 30-year-old grew up in the suburbs of St. Louis and set a record with 21 postseason RBIs while helping deliver the Cardinals’ 2011 championship. Freese sustained that success into 2012, when he batted .293 with 20 home runs and 79 RBIs.

But he struggled in 2013, batting a career-low .262 with just nine home runs. Only three players grounded into more double plays last season than Freese (24).

Freese called it a season of “growing pains,” including a spring training back injury that sidelined him the first week of April and contributed to his .163 batting average the first month. He batted .274 the remainder of the season.

“The last thing I’m worried about is if I’m going to hit,” Freese said. “I’m going to go into camp with the Angels and do what I do: be a good teammate and root on everyone else and do what I do.”

The Angels needed an instant upgrade after getting little offense from their third basemen the last two seasons. Their collective .637 on-base-plus/slugging percentage ranked 27th out of 30 major-league teams in 2013.

Freese’s record also includes three alcohol-related arrests in a span of seven years. He said in a December, 2011 interview with ESPN he no longer drinks.

The Angels also will hope for a turnaroud season from Salas, who saved 24 games with St. Louis in 2011, was replaced as the closer, then saw his ERA rise to 4.30 and 4.50 the last two seasons, respectively.

“We feel like he fits our situation certainly better than he fit in St. Louis’,” Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “He brings depth and stability to our bullpen.”

Only three bullpens allowed a greater percentage of inherited runners to score last season than the Angels. For now, right-handers Ernesto Frieri, Dane De La Rosa, Michael Kohn and Kevin Jepsen still have jobs waiting for them in spring training. Jerome Williams and Joe Blanton could too, if they are unable to secure jobs in the starting rotation.

In 2013, the fleet-footed 26-year-old played just 55 games before undergoing season-ending wrist surgery. He missed time with wrist and intestinal issues in 2012, when a .220 batting average buried him in a crowded outfield featuring Mike Trout, Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells and occasionally Mark Trumbo.

By trading Bourjos, the Angels can move Trout to center field and Josh Hamilton to left, a more comfortable position for each player. The emergence of Kole Calhoun, who batted .282 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs in 55 games, made Dipoto comfortable with his options in right field.

Grichuk was added to the Angels’ 40-man roster for the first time earlier in the week. The 22-year-old, a first-round draft pick along with Trout in 2009, batted .256 with 22 home runs at Double-A Arkansas in 2013. Dipoto said that Grichuk was likely to start next season in Triple-A, but was also blocked from advancing by the Angels’ crowded outfield.

Bourjos is eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and was going to earn a raise from his $512,500 salary.

Freese avoided arbitration last winter by signing a one-year, $3.15 million contract and will be eligible for arbitration again. Salas also is arbitration-eligible after making $512,000 last season.

Freese said he’ll have a “chip on his shoulder” to prove 2013 was a fluke. To help, he’ll have some familiar faces in Salas and first baseman Albert Pujols, Freese’s teammate in St. Louis until two years ago.

“Albert texted me earlier today, welcoming me to the Angels family,” Freese said, “I said, ‘Remember what we did last time we played together? Let’s go do that again.’”